Hillbroom accuses Lujan, Israel of harassment

Junior Larry Hillbroom accused his former lawyers David J. Lujan and Barry Israel of harassing him by flooding him with requests for information, responses, and appearances—considering that he currently has no lawyer.

In a declaration filed in the U.S. District Court for the NMI last week, Hillbroom asked the court to move the hearing on Lujan’s and Israel’s motion to compel, from Nov. 10, 2016, to Nov. 30, 2016, so he can continue to work on finding a lawyer.

Hillbroom said he hired a law firm in Palau to help him identify law firms in the U.S. mainland that can take over his lawsuit against Lujan and Israel. He said many of those firms are still reviewing his files and are in discussion with him and his Palau lawyers.

Since he is in Palau, where the Internet is very slow and the phone service is very poor, finding a lawyer in the U.S. requires a lot of extra time and effort, Hillbroom said.

He said he is spending most of his time working on finding a good law firm to replace his former counsel, the Girardi and Keese law firm.

Even with his current search for a lawyer, Lujan and Israel keep filing documents that they know he cannot respond to without a counsel, Hillbroom said. He said he received an overwhelming number of motions from Lujan and Israel, asking for discovery.

He said his understanding is that the Nov. 10, 2016, hearing date was continued to Nov. 30, 2016, and that during this period he was given time to search for a lawyer.

Hillbroom said it is his understanding that his former counsel has already responded to all of the discovery requests.

Hillbroom also disclosed that he received bills from Lujan and Israel for the one-hour telephone conference that he (Hillbroom) missed on Sept. 19, 2016. He said he clearly remembers that the court stated that lawyers’ fees have to be reasonable and that each person can collect one hour of fees for their time.

“But like I said through my former counsel in this lawsuit, they are billing me again for excessive fees and taking advantage of me,” he said.

Hillbroom said Lujan and Israel are submitting requests for more than one hour—three hours ($1,050) and 4.6 hours ($1,610).

“I think I only have to pay one hour each,” he added.

The trial of Hillbroom’s legal malpractice lawsuit against Lujan and Israel is currently set for a jury trial on Feb. 22, 2017.

The Supreme Court of the Republic of Palau Trial Division has allowed the temporary release of Hillbroom upon posting a cash bail of $275,000 and required him to provide a copy of any notice of deposition, hearing or other court-required appearance for his lawsuits in the CNMI and other jurisdictions.

Last April 20, Palau Trial Division Associate Justice Lourdes Materne granted Hillbroom’s temporary release upon posting a $275,000 cash bail.

Last June 7, Materne also granted Hillbroom’s motion for modification of his conditions of release.

Hillbroom is one of the four DNA-proven children of the late business tycoon and DHL co-founder Larry Lee Hillblom. He was captured in Palau hours after he allegedly escaped from police’s custody last Feb. 19, just a few days after he was arrested over the seizure of $160,000 worth of 160 grams of methamphetamine or “ice.”

Hillbroom, 31, was recaptured after he allegedly dove into the water and tried to swim when police tracked a vehicle at a dock in a town called Meyuns Hamlet in Palau, according to news reports.

Hillbroom’s mother, Kaelani Kinney, is a Palauan. Hillbroom is based in the U.S. mainland.

Hillbroom’s name is spelled differently from DHL co-founder Larry Hillblom.

Hillbroom is suing Lujan and Israel for allegedly conspiring with a former trustee to inflate the attorney’s contingency fee when Hillblom’s fortune was still undergoing probate proceedings in Superior Court.

Hillblom, founder of DHL Express, died in a plane crash off Anatahan waters in 1995. His body was never recovered.

Approximately $100 million in assets were distributed to Hillbroom in the settlement of the probate case for Hillblom estate.